As the race for the next Parliament speaker and deputy gains momentum, different candidates are unleashing their war chests to woo their colleagues.
Pictures have emerged online of newly elected MPs on their way to Kyankwanzi for a retreat with boxes of the bitter to accompany them.
Most of the boxes of mainly wine are customized with Bukedea MP, Anita Among, a candidate for Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
The new MPs are seen in the photos flaunting the bitter, prompting many to question their quality as incoming legislators.
“These are MPs shamelessly flaunting alcohol offered to them by one of the Deputy Speaker candidates, Hon. Anita Among, on their way to Kyankwanzi. One would expect MPs to be reading Country’s Plans & political books to engage constructively later but here they’re, drunk. SHAME!” Duncan Abigaba, a manager at GCIC tweeted.
Some were seen brandishing Among customized mineral water bottles.
Two weeks ago, President Yoweri Museveni who is also chairman of the ruling NRM party, banned campaigns for the race for speaker arguing that they were causing disharmony in the party.
He banned the campaigns during a meeting with all NRM contenders in the race.
THE RETREAT
The retreat which has been on from April 7 and is expected to last until 29the March,2021 is meant to ideologically reorient the new NRM MPs.
“The core objective for the retreat is to ideologically re-orient the NRM leadership to enable them refocus on the socio-economic transformation of Uganda within the broader context of the survival of the African race given the current global pressures and challenge,” Richard Todwong, the NRM Deputy SG said.
He added, “The participants will be taken through the ideological foundation of the NRM, challenges and opportunities for Uganda, East Africa and Africa, assessment of the NRM’s past manifestos and priotizing commitments of the 2021/26 NRM manifesto.”
The two week retreat will only be attended by the newly elected MPs and that the incumbents will not be allowed to attend the retreat.
“Because of the current tight parliamentary schedule , the incumbent NRM Members of Parliament numbering 137 and the independent NRM-leaning MPs numbering 18 who got re-elected to the 11th parliament will not be attending the session of the leadership retreat,” Todwong said.
Todwong said that the retreat will therefore be attended by a total of 243 newly elected NRM MPs plus the 27 Central Executive Committee members and those from the East African Legislative Assembly.